Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Book 12 · Letter 4
A letter wrytten by Rich. Roth, vntounto certaine brethren and sisters in Christ, condemned at Colchester, and ready to be burned for the testimonie of the truth.
O Deare brethren and sisters, how much hauehave you to reioyce in God,A letter of Richard Roth. that he hath geuen you such faith to ouercome thys bloud thirsty tyrants thus far: and no doubt he that hathe begon that good worke in you, wil fulfil it vntounto the end. O de… … in Christ, what a crowne of glory shall ye receiue with Christe in the kingdom of God? Oh that it had bene the good will of God, that I had ben ready to hauehave gon with you For I lie in my … little ease in the day, and in the night I lie in the Colehouse, frō Rafe Allerton, or any other: and we loke eueryevery day whē we … be condemned For he said that I shoulde be burned wythin … daies before Easter: but I lie still at the pooles brinke, and eueryevery man goeth in before mee: but we abide paciently the lordes l…isure, with many bandes, in setters and stockes: by the whiche we hauehave receiued great ioy in God. And nowe fare you well deare brethren and sisters, in this worlde: but I trust to see you in the heauens face to face.
Oh brother Munt, with your wife and my deare sister Rose, how blessed are you in the Lord, that God hath found you worthy to suffer for his sake: with all the rest of my deare brethren & sisters knowen & vnknowen. O be ioyful euen vntounto death. Feare it not, saith Christ: for I hauehave ouercome death, saith he. Oh deare hearts, seeing that Iesus Christ will be our helpe, oh tary you the Lordes laisure. Be strong, let your hearts be of good comfort, & wait you stil for the Lord. He is at hand. Yea the angel of the lord pitcheth his tent rounde about them that feare him, and deliuereth them which way he seeth best. For our liues are in the lords hands: and they can doe nothing vntounto vsus before God suffer thē. Therefore geue all thankes to God.
Oh deare hearts, you shall be clothed with long white garments vponupon the mount Sion, with the multitude of Saintes, and with Iesus Christ our Sauiour, which will neuer forsake vsus. Oh blessed virgins, ye hauehave plaied the wise virgines part, in that you hauehave taken oyle in your lamps, that ye may go in with the bride grom when he commeth into the euerlasting ioy wyth hym. But as for the folish they shalbe shut out, because they made not thē selues ready to suffer with Christe, neither goe about to take vp his crosse. O deare hearts, howe precious shall your death be in the sight of the Lord? for deare is the death of his saintes. O fare you well, and pray. The grace of our Lorde Iesus Christ be wyth you all, Amen, Amen. Pray, pray, pray.
By me Rich. Roth, wrytten with mine bloud.
This letter he confessed in dede (vponupon the sayd examination) to hauehave wrytten with his bloude, & that he meant to hauehave sent the same vntounto suche as were condempned at Colchester for the gospel of Iesus Christ, and were afterwardes burned there, as ye hauehave already heard.
The bish. then farther asked him,The testimony of Rich. Roth o… Rafe Allerton. what he thought hys prison fellow Rafe Allerton to be?
He aunsweared that he thought hym to be one of the elect children of God: and that if at any time heereafter he happened to be put to death for his faith and religion, hee thought he shoulde die a true Martyr. And moreouer finding him selfe agreued with the Bishoppes priuie and secrete condēning of Gods people, he said vntounto him in this sort: My Lord, because the people should not see & behold your doings, ye cause me and others to be brought to our examinatiōs by night, being afraid (belike) to do it by day.
Foure Marty…s burned at Islington.
The Martyrdome of Rafe Allerton, Iames Austoo, Margery Austoo, Richard Roth at Islington. Anno. 1557. September. 17.The Bishop not greatly caring for this talke,Anno 1557. Septem. proceeded to examine hym of other matters, amongest whiche this high and waighty thyng was one, videlicet, how he did lyke the order and rites of the Churche then vsed here in England.
To whome he said, that hee euer had, and yet then did abhorre the same with all his heart.
Then diuers of the Bishops complices entreated and perswaded him to recant, and aske mercy of the bishop.
… con…atiō …. Roth.No (quoth Roth) I will not aske mercy of hym that cannot geue it. Wherupon he was (as the rest before mē tioned) condemned, and deliuered vntounto the Shiriffe, and the xvij. day of September, they all most ioyfully ended their lyues in one fire at Islington, for the testimonie of Christ, as before is declared.